Five Pac-12 teams in the first coaches poll

The first coaches poll of the last season without a college-football playoff was released Thursday, and it shows five Pac-12 teams among the top 25.

Oregon and Stanford are 3-4, behind Nos. 1 and 2 Alabama and Ohio State. Down the list are UCLA at No. 21, USC in 24th and Oregon State at 25th.

Not a lot of love shown the Huskies, who got three points to rank well down the list of others receiving votes. If that riles Washington fans, remember that pre-season polls are notoriously faulty. They’re important to teams being positioned for a push at a national title, but they often bear little resemblance to what will actually take place.

The poll does, however, hint at the strength of the Pac-12 Northern Division. The three teams picked by Pac-12 media to finish ahead of Washington are all ranked, two of them in the top five.

Arizona State was essentially 32nd in the voting, and Arizona polled five points.